I'm telling my age here but as someone who saw the "black pride" era of the late 1960s/early 1970s, this is dangerously close to what some of the "militants" of that time would call a "coon show". If you've seen some of the antics of the old Harlem Globetrotters you would know what I mean.

My guess is that the NBA owners/power players decided that, in terms of marketing to a "mainstream" audience, this more "fun" image works a lot better than the thug persona that some of the recent players seemed to project.

For the record, I think the thug/gangster image is the worst possible image for young (and not so young) black men to project to the world. But what LeBron and his teammates are doing in the above video harkens back to an old stereotype. The fact that there is at least one white player among them does not change this. The old Harlem Globetrotters had white players as well.

To the post above mine,it's really not that serious man and yes you are definitely showing your age.This is 2013 not the 60's my man and we can't always be so overly sensitive and thin skinned about everything.This "Harlem Shake " video has nothing at all to do with minstrel shows are anything else that you speak of some I'm not really understanding where you're coming from.Loosen up my man and stop being so uptight because once again it's really not that serious.

@Chitown Kev
I honestly don't know what the happy medium is. I will say that Oscar Robertson was/is a player who is still admired by many for his deportment on and off the court. He was neither "threatening" nor "minstrely". But the way he carried himself was typical in his day.

@a.davis
Yes, I understand that it's 2013 and not the 1960s. But there is a reason civil rights groups in the 1950s and 60s fought so hard against certain stereotypical depictions of black people. A "minstrel" has no dignity and, therefore, cannot be insulted. A minstrel has no boundaries that ANYONE has to respect. It seems that some blacks in America have forgotten (if they ever knew) the past and are returning, willingly, to that earlier status. A few weeks ago, a rapper named 'Shorty Lo' was being offered a reality show on a major network about his 11 out-of-wedlock children by 10 "baby mamas". It was eventually dropped by that network due to protests but rumors are circulating that he has gotten offers from other networks for his show. Shorty Lo's show is a big comedown from 'The Cosby Show' of the 1980s/90s. The more things change the more they remain the same.

a.davis: if you enjoyed the video, so be it. I watched the video and had a different reaction, as is my right.

for those that somehow found the video "offensive", just search Harlem Shake at youtube and you'll find many similar videos from all types of people. This is just another in a long line. It was well done and humorous with a play on both King (LeBron) James and Super Mario (Chalmers) and maybe others (I didnt get Wade wearing the bear head and Bosh with the boom box).

But the days in which a black player needs to have "proper deportment" have been long gone.

I understand that you are reacting against the prevalence of NBA blacks that act "ghetto" Remember, that came back into the game once Jordan retired.

And even then, Shaq always was a bit of a clown (esp. in the Orlando Magic days with Penny Hardaway) but neither he nor Hardaway nor, I maintain, Lebron James has ever been confused with minstrelty type stuff. Then again, neither was Dr. J, Elvin Hayes, Kareem...etc.

I'm more over this trend because nobody is actually doing the actual "Harlem Shake" dance that was actually famous 10 years ago. Just go to YouTube and look up any early 00s Puffy, Fabolous, or Eve videos and you would see actual dancers doing the real Harlem Shake.